Proposed Bill Allows Bars and Liquor Stores to Sue Underage Buyers

A bill working its way through the Wisconsin Legislature would allow bars and other alcohol purveyors to sue underage drinkers reports the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. The proposed bill, which passed a committee vote unanimously in April, allows bars and liquor stores to sue underage buyers in small claims court for up to $1,000 in damages. The bill also seeks to encourage stores and bar owners to confiscate fake IDs as well.

It’s payback of sorts for tavern and liquor store owners who face hundreds of dollars in fines, and possible loss of their liquor license, when they’re hoodwinked by someone with a sophisticated fake ID and police catch them selling to underage customers, as occurred a few weeks ago when 105 Marquette University students with fake IDs were cited at Victor’s nightclub in Milwaukee.

There is a similar law in Alaska.

In Alaska, a registered letter typically is sent to underage offenders – or to their parents if they are under 18 – offering an out-of-court settlement with a diversionary program and a fine that’s partially a reward for the clerk or bartender who confiscated the ID, said the Wisconsin bill’s sponsor, Rep. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere).